FRISCO, Texas — NHL Network ranked Mikko Rantanen 19th and Miro Heiskanen 20th on Sunday in the 11-20 edition of its Top 50 Players Right Now countdown, placing the Dallas Stars teammates in consecutive spots. Rantanen finished one spot behind Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who was 18th. Heiskanen came in one spot ahead of Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki, who was revealed at 21st on the Sept. 13 show.
Four Stars made the 50-player list. Jason Robertson ranked 24th on that Sept. 13 show, and Wyatt Johnston was ranked 50th when the countdown began Aug. 30.
On Sunday, NHL Network’s Jamison Coyle, Mike Rupp, and Cory Schneider counted down the players ranked 11th through 20th. The network’s researchers, producers, analysts, and hosts built the list on performance over the past several seasons, with an emphasis on the 2025-26 regular season and the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Future performance was also taken into account.
Earlier this offseason, both players ranked fifth at their positions. NHL Network put Rantanen fifth on its Top 20 Wings Right Now on Aug. 3 and Heiskanen fifth on its Top 20 Defensemen Right Now on Aug. 10.
Mikko Rantanen And Miro Heiskanen In 2025-26
In 64 games last season, Rantanen had 22 goals, 55 assists, and 77 points. The 55 assists led the Stars, and his 1.20 points per game ranked 15th in the NHL. His 300th NHL goal came Nov. 4, 2025, in a 4-3 shootout win over Edmonton, making him the fourth Finland-born player to reach 300. He enters the season tied for fourth among Finland-born players with 782 career points.
Rantanen had 2 goals and 4 assists in 5 games for Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics. He tore his MCL in Finland’s 3-2 semifinal loss to Canada in February, missed Dallas’ next 15 games, and returned March 28 for the final 10 games of the regular season, Stars general manager Jim Nill said in May.
The Stars went 50-20-12, finished second in the Central Division, and lost to the Minnesota Wild in six games in the first round. Rantanen had 1 goal and 6 assists in the series.
A year earlier, in his first postseason with Dallas after the March 7, 2025, trade from the Carolina Hurricanes, Rantanen led the Stars with 9 goals, 13 assists, and 22 points in 18 games.
“This is one of the best playoff performers our game has seen as of late,” Rupp said on Sunday’s show. “… This is a guy that can absolutely take over games, especially come playoff time.”
Heiskanen had 9 goals, 54 assists, and 63 points in 77 games, ninth among NHL defensemen. His 25:28 of average ice time ranked fourth among all players. He also set a career high with 132 blocked shots, a season after he was limited to 50 games in 2024-25.
Against Minnesota, Heiskanen had 2 goals and 4 assists in 6 games. At the Olympics, he had 2 goals and 3 assists in 6 games as Finland won the bronze medal. Dallas drafted him third overall in 2017.
Last season, Heiskanen was the only player in the NHL to average more than three minutes per game on both the power play (3:27) and the penalty kill (3:06).
“You can put him in all situations,” Schneider said. “He can do everything. … He doesn’t make many mistakes, and that’s hard to do in this day and age.”
Jason Robertson And Wyatt Johnston Also Ranked
Robertson led Dallas with 96 points in 82 games and tied Johnston for the team lead with 45 goals. He signed a one-year, $12 million contract on July 21 to avoid a salary arbitration hearing. With an assist against Utah on March 16, Robertson became the first player in Stars/North Stars history with four consecutive seasons of at least 80 points. NHL Network ranked him seventh on its Top 20 Wings Right Now in August.
Johnston set career highs with 45 goals, 41 assists, and 86 points while playing all 82 games. His 27 power-play goals led the NHL and set a Stars/North Stars single-season record. He finished tied for third in the league with 42 power-play points. Johnston has not missed a game in four NHL seasons, and NHL Network ranked him 18th on its Top 20 Centers Right Now on Aug. 24.
Against Minnesota in April, Johnston scored 4 goals, 3 of them on the power play, and finished with 6 points in 6 games. NHL Network analyst Mike Johnson discussed Johnston earlier in the countdown.
“He’s the best on the power play,” Johnson said. “… When you can put up those kinds of numbers consecutively, it makes you an absolute threat.”
NHL Network reveals its top 10 on Sunday, Sept. 27, at 6 p.m. CT to close the countdown. The Stars open the regular season Oct. 2 against the St. Louis Blues at American Airlines Center.
